Our School Bell

Every morning the children of Thoresby Primary School arrive in the playground to the sound of the school bell. Rung at 8:50 by pupils in year 6, the sound can be heard throughout the neighbourhood, calling the local children to school. It is a daily reminder of Thoresby’s place at the heart of the community.The school was the last of 37 Board Schools to be built in Hull, and when it opened in August 1902 the bell was installed.

The bell was ‘cast’ at the factory of John Taylor and Co. of Loughborough, Leicestershire. The same company cast the bells of St. Paul’s in London, Holy Trinity Church Hull, and York Minster. Our bell is made of bronze, weighs half a hundredweight (about 25 kilograms), and still has its original ‘clapper’. The bell had been painted black over the years (sacrilege!), and this seriously affected the tone. It took a great deal of time and effort to chip off the old paint before the bell could be sand-blasted and then coated to avoid the bronze turning green!

One of the school’s teachers, Mr Paul Grantham, co-ordinated the dismantling and reinstatement of the bell, liaising with Mr David Stipetic, the clock custodian for Hull and Steeple Keeper of the Church of the Holy Trinity. The bell had to be sent away to Barnsley for the work and only returned at the end of February, to the great delight of the children.Having lain silent for many years, it was restored to full working order in 2002, Thoresby’s centenary year. Parents, pupils, governors, staff and former Thoresbians worked together throughout the year to raise the money needed to pay for its refurbishment.